San Diego State baseball coach and Padres Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn underwent surgery Tuesday evening to remove a cancerous tumor inside his right cheek.

The operation at UC San Diego’s Thornton Hospital began sometime after 9:30 a.m. and continued into the evening, according to Gwynn’s wife, Alicia.

“We’re making sure this time that we’re getting everything out,” Alicia Gwynn said Tuesday evening, “whether it involves his facial nerves, which the transplants will help anyway. We’re just really trying to attack this thing aggressively so we can get it all out and be done with it.

“No chemo. No radiation. The doctors said the best thing is just go in and get it all out.”

Members of the Aztecs baseball family have known for about two weeks that this day was coming.

“We’re just saying prayers for him,” said SDSU associate head coach Mark Martinez, who will lead the team in Gwynn’s absence. “We’ve known for a little bit of time that he had a little bit of a setback. The kids are all rallied up.

“He’s been out here every day until this day today. He’s going to be missed, but the kids are fine. They’re thinking about him. They’ve put together a little video for him and some cards and stuff. They’re going to take it over to him (today) or Thursday.”

Gwynn’s cancer originally was discovered in August 2010. He had surgery to remove lymph nodes and tumors from the gland Aug. 30, 2010, and later that year underwent eight weeks of chemotherapy and radiation treatments, which ended just before Christmas.

ESPN.com, which first reported the return of Gwynn’s cancer, said that according to Alicia Gwynn, doctors do not believe the cancer has spread outside of Gwynn’s salivary gland. But she expected to know more after the latest intricate surgery, in which she said five doctors would likely perform a nerve graft to preserve Gwynn’s facial functions.

“They were either going to take it from the shoulder or the leg, whichever one’s the longest,” Alicia Gwynn said. “Everybody’s confident about it.”

Earlier, she told
ESPN.com: “Tony told them to take (the malignant tumor) all out. They said they may need to remove the facial nerve — they might have to go a lot deeper. But he just told them to take it out.”

“Hopefully, his face will work fine; hopefully he’ll be able to blink his eye. They said they will make his face as normal as they can — and that it might be better than it was.”

Asked to comment in general terms about parotid cancer, because he isn’t familiar with the specifics of Gwynn’s case, Dr. Albert McClain Jr., board certified in otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat) at Sharp Chula Vista, said:

“There is a variety of salivary gland cancers. They all have their own behavior patterns. Most can be cured. The prognosis can be very good. If you have previous surgery at the site. it can be more complicated. If you are talking about nerve replacement, the recuperation could be six months to a year, and there’s a chance the nerve and the face will never work quite the same. The two facial nerves (one on each side) control the side of the face.”

Alicia Gwynn said her husband likely would remain in the hospital for at least the next two days. She said Gwynn’s doctor has told him he wants the Hall of Famer to heal for 30 days and then he can resume his activities as SDSU’s baseball coach. The Aztecs will open their season Friday night against Washington at the campus stadium named after Gwynn, who has coached the team for nine seasons.

“The game is on TV, and he’s going to watch it,” Alicia Gwynn said. “He loves this team more than anything. I think this is the happiest and most positive I’ve seen him in a long time about his team. And he wants to run his team. He said, ‘This is my team, and I’m going to be in control.’ He’s just looking forward to getting back on the field.”

Martinez related what Gwynn, who in August signed a new three-year contract, told the team after he broke the news of the cancer’s return:

“His message to the guys was we’re going to attack this with a positive attitude. It’s been nothing but that. His family’s been positive. Our family here at San Diego State has been positive. That’s the route our players are going.”

“These kids love their head coach. They’re going to miss him while he’s out. We’re all going to miss him while he’s out. They’re definitely going to have a little bit of that chip on their shoulder. They’re definitely going to want to make him proud with the way they play.”

In a statement released by SDSU, Athletic Director Jim Sterk said, “Tony and I have been in continuous communication, and I feel comfortable that the program is in great hands with Mark Martinez and Eric Valenzuela while Tony is recovering from surgery. Tony has been feeling great and is enthusiastic about coaching. He sees this as a temporary setback and we look forward to having him back in the dugout when he is ready.”

The most famous Aztec to play for Gwynn at SDSU, Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg, was working out at the school Tuesday.

“He’s Mr. Padre. He’s Mr. San Diego,” said Strasburg, whose No. 37 jersey will be retired during a pregame ceremony Friday. “You hope for the best. You pray for him and hope everything turns out well.”

Gwynn, 51, has blamed the cancer on his longtime use of smokeless tobacco. But Dr. McClain, echoing comments made by UC San Diego Dr. Kevin Brumund in 2010 when Gwynn’s cancer was diagnosed, said that was unlikely.

“Cancer of the parotid is not typically associated with the use of smokeless tobacco,” McClain said. “There would be a possibility if a lesion were nearby, but that possibility is very rare.”

When someone pointed out Tuesday was Valentine’s Day, Alicia Gwynn said, “Tony and I grew up together. We went from elementary school through college together. We’re a team. We’ve been teammates that long, so we don’t even look at it like that. For me, his health is more important.

“Valentine’s Day is not that big a deal to me really. I love my husband every day, so every day is Valentine’s Day for us.”